Dess Diaries
by Thepolymathwriter
Summary: So it's post blue-noon. Rex has dropped out to care for Maddy and Dess is the only midnnighter left at Bixby high. Then comes an irrasistably handsome new kid who may just be a midnighter. As well, what have the other three found? Written from Dess' POV
1. Chapter 1 new kid

**Disclaimer: I don't own the series or any of the characters, they are all the creations of the wonderful Mr. Westerfield. **

I was in a bad mood. Besides the fact that the darklings had gone all but extinct and my kick-butt weapon building skills had no use, the majority of the few friends I actually had were galavanting off on a search-and-rescue mission I knew would be fruitless. Out of the two who stayed one was mentally whacked and the other was half-darkling and caring for the other so basicly I was alone. Normaly I would rejoice; solitude meant meant more time to create and name my beautiful weapons, but with no darklings left to slay, weapons were pointless. Now I was left with to much time and no friends. This brings me back to my bad mood; entering a school a crowded high school where 95% of the student population has branded you a freak and teachers like Mr. Sanchez all but worship the ground you walk on alone is something that would put even Jessica in a crummy mood. But this was what I had to brave. Of course I could have dropped out like Rex, but then what would I live for?

"It's all I have," I mumbled in reply to myself, gazing at the pathetic building known as Bixby High. In customary fashion I propped my dark glasses to their usual perch. Stupid administrators, not letting a photophobic person wear their sunglasses inside was just plain cruel. I tucked a stray lock of dark hair beneath the glasses. I was planning to grow it out and dye it lighter to get away from the whole "goth" brand. I didn't enjoy death metal or thoughts of darkness light Melissa did and my wardrobe was only how it was to fit in with darkling boy and the goddess. Their being gone was the perfect oppratunity to revamp my style to something less….scary.

Upon entering the school, I noticed two things in particular. 1. Contanza was back from her little move to L.A that was APPARENTLY for a TV audition, but we knew otherwise. And 2. There was a new kid standing aimlessly near the math bulliten board. I noticed this because when someone new comes to Bixby, everyone knows about it and because he was rather attractive. Everybody (especially Melissa) always says "oh poor little Dess all alone" or "only in love with numbers"and whatnot, but I have feelings just like everybody else. This particular boy looked to be about a year or two older than me, the right age to be in my trig class, and he was tall and lean with dark auburn hair spiked up in the front. He had a kind-looking face and a pair of dazzling green eyes. As I walked by casually, he flashed me a smile. Now don't get me wrong, when a boy that handsome flashes you a smile you should feel all worm and fuzzy and I did, but I also was confused. No one ever smiled at me in the hallways, not Rex or any of the others and now this mystery boy was smiling at me like he knew me. Could he be my lost cousin Ernie or something? I turned to take a peek at him again, but suddenly he was right behind me.

"Um hi," he said awkwardly, "are you Desdemona?"

"Yea," I answered, hoping I wasn't blushing.

"Mr. Sanchez told me to come and find you this morning," he stuck his hands in his pockets nervously, "I just moved here and he wants me to get you to catch me up on trigonometry. By the way I'm Jake. Jake Summers."

"Oh," I wasn't surprised, Sanchez loved me, "ok then. You already know who I am, but please just call me Dess."

"Dess," he repeated, "sounds good, do you want to walk to the trig room so we could get started."

"Um..sure," I answered, "this way. It's actually out in the temps this term so it's a bit of a walk." We turned and slowly made our way down the corridor in an awkward silence.

"So Jake," I attempted to make small-talk, "where'd you move from?"

"Kelowna in Canada," he replied then laughed, "the true north strong and free." I smiled. Not at his bad use of anthm lyrics, but at the fact that Kelowna Canada had thirteen letters just like Bixby Oklahoma. Then a thought dawned on me. Maybe, just maybe, Jake Summers was a midnighter. Of course it was a one in a lot chance of him being one of us, especially with Madeline out of action, but it felt good to actually be doing something to benefit the whole midnight grand scheme of things.

"So do you like Bixby?" The same question I asked Jessica almost four months ago. I half-expected him to say "the water tastes funny."

"It's pretty good, I'm having a hard time sleeping though," he looked embaressed.

"Dreams?" I asked kindly.

"How'd you know?" he asked.

"I had them when I first moved her too," I answered, then timed the next part carefully, "were they about time being stopped and the world an eery shade of blue?" I was excited now. That one in a lot chance was seeming more and more realistic.

"Seriously?" he was shocked, "how would you know that?"

"Wait till lunch, I'll explain then," I replied then turned back towards the school's front doors.

"Aren't you coming to trig?" He asked.

"Nope, say sorry to Sanchez for me," it wasn't like skipping wasn't usual for me, particularly trig. I was farther ahead than some one in university. I waved and turned the corner, the one name of the person I had to talk to on my mind. Rex.

**So there you have it! Chapter 1 of my first fanfiction that isn't a oneshot. Chapter 2 will be up ASAP. Please comment and review!**


	2. Chapter 2 a visit to a friend

I was practically running by the time I reached the school's main entrance once more. I had to talk to Rex and due to his technology-phobia; the only way was in person. Hastily pulling my ragged old bike out of the rack, I hopped on it and started pedaling down the street. Thankfully Madeline's house wasn't far from the school, so my mad dash was a short one. The entire time my mind was rushing. Jake Summers, one of us! And I had found him! Little old me who wasn't good for anything but calculations had actually done something to help "the team". This rivaled my discovery of geostationary as one of my greatest accomplishments. Without the help of an idiot like Rex and his stupid focus, I had found a new midnighter.

The now familiar "Dess-triumphs" glow was sitting pretty high in my chest as I pulled up to the familiar rickety old house. Leaning my bike against the old willow tree, something caught my eye. Three deep gouges were torn through the thick bark, yellowish sap still oozing from the edges. Though it had been nearly four months since Jessica Day had first set foot in the blue time, the marks made by darkling claws were still there. I hoped Jake wouldn't have such an unfortunate run-in with psycho-kitty during his secret hour. I slowly ran my painted fingers down thee knotted old bark.

"Dess?" Rex's familiar Oklahoma drawl layered with predator cunning sounded from the front porch, "Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

"I'm only skipping trig," I laughed, "Sanchez won't mind."

"So what pressing matter made it so urgent you had to miss the wonders of trigonometry just to come see little old me?" he asked.

"Jake Summers," I answered, my emotions turning serious, "new kid, just moved here from Kelowna, Canada. He's been having _dreams_."

"Oh," Rex's face darkened, "you mean blue dreams?"

I nodded, "maybe I better come inside." Rex led me into the cluttered living room. Tridecagrams, twisted bits of metal, and all sorts of other midnight heirlooms were scattered across the room. Rex nudged some stray weapons off of an old armchair with a yardstick lying around. I could tell his other half feared touching them. He lowered himself into it carefully.

"Seriously? Another one?" he questioned once I was settled into a dusty rocking chair, "are you sure?"

"Rex there are few things I joke about, especially midnight," I answered, "he approached me in the hall asking for catch-up on trig. We got talking and well…..he's been having dreams of a frozen world bathed in blue light ever since he moved here."

"But how?" Rex was obviously in shock and I couldn't blame him, a midnighter moving here without mindcaster influence was really unlikely, "Madeline's getting better, but she can't do that kind of mindcasting yet."

Suddenly creaky footsteps echoed from upstairs followed by an even creakier voice. "Did I hear my name?" I was surprised, I knew Madeline was recovering from her mental breakdown, but I didn't realize she was already well enough to socialize.

"Are you ok?" Rex hurried over to help the old woman down the last few steps.

"Boy I've got years more experience in this life than you," she retaliated, "I'm sure I can tell when I'm ok."

"I just don't want you to get hurt," Rex answered. I realized he was being so careful because his human side felt guilty for what he'd done. I guess he felt that protecting her form any more harm was the first step to saying sorry.

"Desdemona?" Madeline asked as she caught sight of me, "what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in those fancy advanced classes at school you're always talking about?"

"Well um," I started but was cut off by Rex.

"There's a new midnighter in town," he said, then explained my whole story.

"I can talk for myself!" I argued once he was finished. He just returned my remark with a feral glare that reminded me of the predator that resided within him.

"Well," the older woman said, "that's quite interesting." She gazed into the distance, lost in thought.

"I was planning to explain everything at lunch to him," I said, "then prove it at midnight."

"Test him for talents," Rex added, "It'll be good going into midnight if we know what he is. I'll call Melissa and get them to come back to help out in figuring out why the heck he's here." I knew exactly what he meant. Last time a new midnighter showed up, it was because a cataclysmic blue noon was coming, I suspected Jake Summers' arrival was going to be equally filled with surprises.

"Well then if I want to make it back for lunch I better get going," I said, standing up and heading for the door, "see you two tonight." Rex waved, but Madeline continued to stare blankly into space.

Once I was back on my bike, my mind started reeling again. How would I explain the whole thing? Would he believe me? Would he think I'm just a kook? Question upon question kept popping up in my mind as I pedaled back towards the school. Before I knew it I was walking back through the main entrance and to my second period geography class. I was lucky enough to get back to the school just before it started and I was actually early as I entered Mrs. Michael's room. Taking my usual seat at the back, I watched the flow of people come in, tense to see if Jake was in my class. I wasn't sure whether to be happy or not as his tanned face appeared at the end of the crowd. I settled on focusing on a neutral look. The moment he caught sight of me his joyful expression turned to a look of determination and he made his way towards the usually vacant seat beside me.

"Where the hell did you go?" he asked, "you kind of abandoned me!"

"Like I said," I answered, "I'll explain everything at lunch. And I went to visit a friend during trig." I turned to face the front to prove my dropping of the matter. Mrs. Michaels began her lecture on the wonders of post communist Russia government structure. I tried to pay attention, but I could feel Jake's dazzling green eyes boring into me. I attempted to return his gaze with an angry glare, but the moment I saw his face my angry glare melted into a blank stare. This passing of looks continued for the entire class, the whole time making me feel incredibly awkward. Finally when the lunch bell rang, I began to gather up my stuff, but was interrupted as Jake stood up and loomed over me.

"Tell me what's going on," he said menacingly, then more timidly, "please."

"Follow me," I sighed, picking up my bag and heading out the door, "let's begin by saying those dreams you've been having? They're not dreams."

**So there you go, chapter two! Chapter three will hopefully be up as early as tomorrow morning, but I make no promises. Also, I'd love to dedicate this fanfiction to the one person who has truly understood my midnight obsession, ChaunieBella. (please oh please read and comment, it's your comments that give me the confidence boost I need to keep on writing.)**


	3. Chapter 3 talents

"What else could they be?" he stammered as I led him to the familiar back corner where all of us had sat for our entire high school careers. Of course I was the only one left until Jake came along. I sat down on one side of the table; he took a seat awkwardly across from me.

"Ok Jake," I said bluntly, giving him a serious look, "Bixby's different, special."

"How? It doesn't seem special to me," he answered, "just a classic Oklahoma town."

I took a sip of my coke, "What if I told you during those dreams of yours, you're fully awake? That everything that goes on during them is completely true? Would you think I'm crazy?"

"Why would they be anything else? Time can't freeze," he looked up at me innocently, "can it?"

"Hate to break it to you my handsome friend," I replied bluntly, he blushed at my mention of his handsomeness, "but it's true. Time stops at midnight for you, me, and some other very lucky people. There are also people in the world that can read minds, fly, and do some kick-butt mathematical things. You probably can do one of these things too; you're a midnighter just like me and the people I skipped trig to go see."

As expected, Jake's jaw dropped. Obviously this wasn't the explanation he expected, "W-Was that how you knew about the dreams?" he stammered, "Are you a mind reader?"

I laughed; he wasn't the first one to think that. Again I was having Jessica déjà Vu "me? A mindcaster? Hardly, I'm merely a polymath."

"Mindcaster? Polymath? What the heck?"

"All of us who can see the blue time have our talents," I answered, sipping my coke, "mindcasters read minds. They also can basically do whatever they want with your mind, whether it's changing your opinion or turning you into a drooling vegetable." I shuddered as I pictured that night in Melissa's old ford. The touch.

"So what do you polymaths do?"

"By definition, polymath translates to _many talents_ or _many studies, _you know, like how polygons have many sides? And polyhedrons have many faces?" He returned my questioning statement with merely a blank stare "Well I'm a math expert. Also thirteen letter words stand out to me. Like Extraordinary, Biodegradable, and Lepidopterist."

"What does Lepidopterist mean?" he asked, his blank stare transforming into a look of confusion.

"It's someone who researches bugs and butterflies and stuff," I answered smartly, "for example; the giant mutant butterfly ate Jonah the nerdy lepidopterist."

"Why are thirteen letter words so important?"

"That's a really long story," I answered. I was getting a tad bit tired of all this explaining, talking about midnight was Rex's thing, "We'll tell you tonight."

"At midnight during this time stop of yours?" he asked, finally picking up a French fry from his untouched lunch, "and who's us?"

"Did you think you and I were the only ones?" I laughed, "Currently in town there are two more. A mindcaster named Madeline, who I may warn you is a tad bit…..nutty, and a severely damaged guy named Rex. There's also a few more that are currently away from Bixby."

"Are they the ones you went to see during trig?" he ate another fry.

"Yea," I continued to sip my coke, "Rex needed to know that there was a new midnighter in town." He nodded. For a few minutes we ate in silence, I could see the little cogs in his head turning as he processed all this new and surprising information. I smiled yet again.

"What are you smiling at?" he asked.

"Nothing, nothing," I answered, hoping I wasn't blushing.

"Ok then," he still sounded unsure, "so, um. You said that I had one of these talents? Well I know I can't read minds and, though I'm in advanced trig, math isn't that easy, so what am I?"

"Well," I answered, "do I look different to you? Stand out among all the other people here?"

"Umm," he looked hard at me, "you're pretty?" He blushed, his tanned cheeks flashing a vibrant crimson, "and no offense, but your wardrobe is a little different compared to everyone else here."

I stifled a smile as I answered, "But I'm not in focus more than anyone else or blurry compared to everyone else?"

"No," he replied, "should you be?"

I drank the last drops of my coke, "that's another talent, the seer. They can see things touched by the midnight world."

"Oh," he said, "are there any more?"

"There are actually two more ones we know about, but I'll have to wait till midnight to test you for those. But be aware, there are talents we haven't seen yet." I remembered that dusty day at Madeline's house when she explained grandpa Grayfoot's evil schemes. She said there were other talents beyond what we knew, that the five we had were just the tip of the iceberg.

Suddenly, a handful of French fries flew over my head along with a primitive bellow of "FOOD FIGHT!" Immediately food began to fly. A cupcake tumbled through the air gracefully while the bits of lettuce from someone's salad splatted against a wall. A disfigured ball of mashed potatoes landed smack dab in the middle of Contanza's chest, it stuck for a moment then slowly slid down the front of her expensive looking shirt. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a chocolate milk container flying towards me, the sticky liquid spiraling out from the carton.

"Dess watch out!" Jake cried, reaching towards me. I closed my eyes, bracing for the impact, but it never came. All I felt was silence. Opening my eyes, I peered around in amazement. All the airborne food was frozen and the world was tinted in the familiar blue. Turning my head, I could see the container poised millimeters away from my face, as well as Jake standing there with a look of utter amazement on his face.

"What the heck?" he said in awe, "it's the blue dream….in the middle of the day." He looked at me, expecting an answer.

"Usually it only comes at midnight," I explained, "the only time it came during the day was before the rip happened. This makes no sense." The frozen cafeteria reminded me so much of the eclipses that occurred before Samhain. At least those had an explanation, this was completely uncalled for.

"Maybe we should rewind," Jake suggested, "what happened before this came?"

"There was a food fight," I said, looking again at the frozen food, "and I almost got knocked out by a chocolate milk container, then you told me to watch out, and then….blue time." I thought about the events hard. Then a thought dawned on me.

"Jake," I said, "Come over here for a second."

He obeyed, "why?"

"Because," I started, then picked up my empty coke can and threw it at him. He threw up his hands just as it was about to hit him and the world shuddered. The blue time faded, the flying food items continued their trajectories, and the coke can bounced harmlessly off of his outstretched fingers.

He looked at his hands in awe, "Did I do that?"

"I think you did," I answered, "I would bet my best weapons that that's your talent; you can bring on and stop the blue time."

**So there you are my loyal friends! Hope you like that lovely twist. As always, please read and comment (every review brightens my day). **


	4. Chapter 4 the return of the others

"Do it again," I asked, hoping he didn't need me to throw something at him every time we wanted it to come. He clenched his fists until his knuckles were white and set his face into a determined expression. After a moment, time stopped again and the world was leached in the familiar blue.

"I'm guessing this isn't normal?" he looked at me expectedly.

"Not at all," I answered, "come outside." I led him around the frozen students and the flying food and through the double doors at the end of the lunch room. Outside was just what I expected, a frozen blue world, just like inside. What I was really looking for was the dark moon. Would it still make its way across the sky during the created blue-time? Would it even be there? At first when I looked up, I feared this was true until I saw the tiny sliver of deep purple on the far edge of the horizon. It was in the same position as it was when midnight was almost over, as if he had made it move across the sky in one fluid motion, but left it suspended just before it could set.

"Switch back to normal time," I commanded. He clenched his face and hands again and sure enough the moon dipped below the horizon and daylight came again.

"Now back to midnight," this was the only way of figuring out how this whole thing worked, but I was sure that Rex and Madeline were having a fun time trying to figure this out. As Jake tensed again, Principal Greenwich caught sight of us from across the field.

"Hey you!" he called, "You kids need to be-." He froze as the blue time came again. But I wasn't looking at him, I watched the dark moon go arcing across the sky to freeze suspended above the horizon just like last time. To be able to manipulate and pull the dark moon across the sky at that speed with just a little concentration was astounding. Even I, bias in favor of polymaths had to admit, this was probably the most powerful talent we've found yet.

"What now?" he asked, "I've found my all powerful talent and whatnot, so do we just wait for midnight when we can meet with your friends?"

"Jake," I sighed, "why wait for normal midnight when we can make midnight happen right here and now? Why don't we go explain this to Rex so he doesn't make up some strange seer's theory?" I managed to convince him to "borrow" one of the other bikes off the rack, we would be returning it anyways and no-one would notice its absence, and soon we were pedaling down the street towards Madeline's house. Time passed by easily, Jake was an easy person to talk to. He told me about his life in Kelowna and his family. His mom worked for Bixby Hydro and his dad owned a bakery, and he also had a little sister named Emily. They had a dog named Doge (pronounced Doe-gee as he repeated for me many times) and a cat named Jemima. He also told me about his activities, mostly football. I attempted to give off the impression that I actually cared, but it was difficult. He said he was the star running back for the Kelowna South High School lightning and when I in inquired about girlfriends he blushed and said he hadn't found the perfect person quite yet. Soon we were pulled up and leaning our bikes against the gnarled old willow tree. Rex was standing on the porch once more, looking at the dark moon with a look of deep thoughtfulness across his face.

"Dess!" he called, "it's another eclipse!" I couldn't help but laugh at his confusion. Rex having the answers wrong was one of the main things I thought of as funny.

When he looked at my smiling face and the boy standing beside me, his face dissolved into an expression of surprise, "You must be Jake," he said, still standing on the porch, "did Dess tell you who I am?"

"Yea," he answered.

"Well just so you know, this eclipse thing of midnight during the day isn't normal," he said, "I haven't quite figured out what caused it yet, but I'm working on it."

"I know what caused it," I broke up his ranting, "It was Jake."

He looked confused, "What?"

"That's my talent," Jake said, "according to Dess I can start and stop the blue time."

"B-But! You can't! It goes against everything written in the lore! No-one has that kind of power!" Rex looked furious about the fact that maybe, just maybe someone was better than him and the lore was wrong. After all, it was written in part by people from Madeline's time, and if that old kook was a corrupted as she was, who wouldn't doubt that the rest of them were.

To demonstrate what he was talking about, Jake tensed himself once more and I watched the dark moon slip below the horizon bringing with it the harsh sunlight of day. I slipped my sunglasses back onto my face, a smug smile spreading.

Rex was in awe, "How'd that happen? How do you do it?"

"I dunno," Jake merely shrugged, "I did it the first time when Dess was about to be hit by a flying wad of mashed potatoes. I just….did it."

Rex turned back to me once again, "any explanation from your point of view?" Of course he meant the view of a polymath. That's all I was good for to him.

"Well," I sighed, "I watched him do it and it seems like he actually moves the dark moon at amazing speeds across the sky and stops it just before it sets. Now I'm talking super fast speeds. It also appears that he simply restarts its movement to make it set."

"Like I said," Jake clarified, "I just concentrate and it happens. See?" He tensed once more and the dark moon shot back across the sky, bringing with it the calm of the blue time.

"Amazing," Rex said in awe, "I'll have to go and check the lore to see if anything like this is mentioned. Wait a second!" I could literally see a thought dawn on him, "Melissa and the others! They must be experiencing this too!" He paused, probably sending a thought phone call to Melissa to see where she is.

"I'm right here you idiot," unexpectedly Melissa stepped out from behind a nearby car. Behind her came Jessica and Jonathon, the flamebringer's hand glowing with that pulsing lightning light. I smiled when I saw them. Not the loony mindcaster, but the other two. They were simply good people with good intentions, the only other midnighters or people for that matter I could truly get along with.

"Have you been there the whole time?" Rex asked, "And how the heck did you get there in the first place."

"We've been here since the start of the fake blue time," Melissa replied smugly, "and we merely flew in when you weren't looking. That was before Dess and what's-his-face got here." I wasn't sure why she didn't state his name, she knew it anyways.

"I mean Jake," she corrected, then looked at me, "happy now?"

"Fine and dandy," I was annoyed. With the goddess back in town, I'd have to watch my thoughts carefully.

"So," Rex started, his serious-seer-time look on his face, "did you find anymore?"

"Anymore what?" Jake asked.

"Anymore of us," Jessica answered, "the ones who walk the blue time. And yes Rex, we found two to be exact. They're on their way right now."

"Talents?" I asked, hoping my want for another polymath would be fulfilled.

"Acrobat and mindcaster," Melissa answered, "two girls by the names of Jamie and Natalie." Then she suddenly smiled in an odd way, "and here they come."

**And so concludes chapter four! I apologize greatly for the delay, I'm just a busy person with very little time to sit down at the computer and transfer this story from thoughts scrawled in**** a notebook to the actual finished product. I'm really hoping to have chapter five up ASAP so keep watching for it.**


	5. Chapter 5 a surprise trip

As Melissa spoke I noticed two figures approaching through the blue-lit sky. Their flight was gangly and un-coordinated; nothing like Flyboy and Jessica's graceful soaring. I could tell this whole thing was new to them. As they approached, their details came into view. Two girls, one tall one petite. From what I could tell the tall one was the acrobat, the other merely clinging on for dear life. After several more bounds, they touched down a block down the street and released their grasp on each other. The smaller girl jogged towards us while the tall acrobat girl hopped as if she was on the moon. When they finally drew near, I began to pick out the details of their faces. The small girl had shoulder-length blond hair that didn't look a bit out of place despite her grueling flight. She wore plaid purple pajama pants and a white t-shirt as well as a brand-new looking pair of converse. The other girl had deep red hair, though I couldn't be sure due to the blue light, cropped very short and spiked up in the back. She was wearing simple flannel pajamas and a worn-out pair of Nikes. Both girls looked to be my age or younger, no older than 15.

"Melissa!" the blond girl cried running straight to the mindcaster, "Is that what it's like for everyone? When I touch anyone will that happen?" I couldn't help but smile. This must be the new mindcaster, confused and scared at the prospect of touching. The three must have flown off immediately when the fake midnight started and left the two newbies with simple instructions to follow them. Didn't they realize what would happen? Melissa herself had flown with Jonathon back on the night Jessica discovered her talent, so she must have known how difficult it would be for the untrained girls.

"W-What the hell was that?" the acrobat girl stuttered as she approached. She glanced over at the other girl and shuddered. I could empathize; a mindcaster's touch was not something you would enjoy.

"Didn't you touch her?" Rex looked accusingly at Melissa and I was surprised, "and pass on the secrets of mindcasting and whatever else Madeline did to you?"

"I did," Melissa defended, "but she's only been a mindcaster, even in daylight for only a few weeks. It's all new to her and she has no idea how to control it."

"Wait a second," I broke in, "you said a few weeks? She was born at midnight wasn't she?" Then it hit me. Outside the range of midnight, talents didn't work. When the range of midnight spread, all the potential talents within the new range were suddenly activated. Did this mean that Melissa wouldn't be able to read mind where there isn't midnight? Would I not be able to do the math? I shuddered at the thought. We wouldn't have known that when Jonathon and Jessica came because their talents only work at midnight.

"Oh," I gasped and Melissa nodded, reading my thoughts.

"So maybe we should have some formal introductions," Jonathon said, "this is Natalie, mindcaster prodigy." He pointed out the blond girl who waved a little, obviously uncomfortable with all the flaring midnighter minds around her, "and this is our new acrobat Jamie." The tall girl smiled and waved. I guess she was recovering from sharing Natalie's mind for the flight here.

"Like he said I'm Jamie," she introduced herself, "and you're Rex and Dess. But they didn't mention you." She pointed to Jake. He had been silent this whole time.

"I'm Jake Summers," he said, "just moved to Bixby from Kelowna in Canada."

"Oh my god!" the girls said in unison, then Jamie continued "we're from Kelowna too! We were just on a school trip to Tulsa when Jessica, Jonathon, and Melissa picked us up."

Rex turned to me, "is Kelowna on any super important coordinates?" I visualized a globe in my mind, the blazing lines of latitude and longitude wrapped around it's surface. Kelowna was in the central regions of the province of B.C in Canada. If my memory served me right, there wasn't anything important there.

"Nothing big," I said aloud, "roughly 119 degrees west by 49 degrees north. Not a single twelve there."

"Maybe," everyone turned as Jessica spoke for the first time, "maybe math doesn't matter here. Sorry Dess, but there's another anomaly Melissa forgot to mention. They weren't born at or near midnight."

"Really?" Rex turned back to the girls.

"8:54 in the morning," Jamie said.

"5:28 at the evening," Natalie murmured.

"We need to get to Kelowna," Rex said, "and find out what's going on. There could be more midnighters waiting for us there."

"Nice plan and all Rex," I protested, "but unlike you some of us have parents who actually care if we suddenly fly out of the country."

"I can fix that," Melissa smiled evilly.

"No," I answered, my furiousness rising, "mess with me and I'm ticked. Mess with my family and you better watch out."

"What are you going to do," Melissa continued to smile, "poke me with an umbrella?" I shuddered. How was she able to pry that from my mind? The first and last weapon I'd made after Samhain was a steel umbrella stripped of it's fabric named authenticated assassination believability. Made by a company called House and Homes (thirteen letters) and also inscribed with Made in Germany (thirteen letters) it was a great weapon against darklings if it were ever to meet one. I hadn't even thought of it lying in my closet since I made it.

"Even if you warp their minds to allow me to go," I attempted to keep my face even despite the growing rage, "they can't force me to do anything. It wouldn't feel right if I'm going because they're minds are controlled. And I'm sure Jake would agree with me."

"I'm kind of new to all this," he said, "but I wouldn't want someone controlling my parent's heads even if it is someone I know. But that may not be needed because my parents would understand if I want to go home to visit some old friends."

Jonathon spoke up, "Dess, you're the only one who'll have problems with this. We can't cancel the whole trip just because you have some ethical problems with mindcasting. You'll have to figure something out or not go." I gazed at him in shock. This was the kind of thing Rex or Melissa would say, not Jonathon. I began to wonder if perhaps the mindcaster's evil was wearing off on him.

"What about me?" Jessica asked, "I can only travel at midnight. I can't take a plane."

"With Jake here," Rex answered, "we can create midnight and simply fly to Kelowna."

"Two problems with that," I protested again, "firstly there's only two acrobats with two hands and six people to carry. And secondly parents, no matter how lenient, would notice if Jake or I were to disappear into thin air."

"I've got answers for both," Rex answered, "Firstly, Jessica and Jonathon can fly there tonight and meet us there, and secondly the rest of us will simply fly there on a "class trip"".

I couldn't argue any more so I merely agreed, "Fine, I guess we're going on a vacation to Kelowna. Exactly the trip I want to spend my hard-earned money on."


	6. Chapter 6 unique in every way

I stared at the empty duffle bag, willing my mind to come up with some idea of what to take that wouldn't set off the metal detectors at the airport. Of course I'd need clothes, a toothbrush, and all the other necessities of life; they were already stuffed away in a small backpack sitting on the edge of my bed. But this duffle bag was devoted to the reason I was going to Kelowna in the first place, midnight. But what metal weapons could you bring legally on an airplane? Obviously the steel hunting knife Unjustifiable Loathsomeness was not something to take. Neither was the steel-tipped pickax Unintelligent Conscientious Lexicographer. Even the umbrella Melissa saw in her head, Authenticated Assassination Believability would probably force a searching of my bags. And believe me, I wanted to get to Kelowna and get back without a hitch. It felt bad enough forging tot permission slip on the school computers and lying to my parents about the "school trip." I didn't need any complications at the airport hindering my steady lie.

I sighed, scanning my room for any weapons that would be allowed. After about five minutes, I decided on a pair of steel toed boots named Neurotoxicity and Blamelessness. They would be good for kicking away slithers if any happened to turn up in Kelowna. But would there be slithers in Kelowna, or even their masters the darklings? I still was in the dark about what was capable now that midnight existed elsewhere. Were there darklings everywhere, but they were just sleeping until the cold blue silence of midnight awoke them? Or were all of these places with new midnight darkling free? So many questions with so few answers. I sighed once again and continued to pack what I could. A small container of steel screws, a steel screwdriver by the name of Backscratcher so the screws wouldn't seem out of place. I even threw in a few spare flashlights (all named of course) for Jessica. I stepped back, looking at the few things in the bag. Not much, but better than nothing. I stuffed one last thing in. Suddenly the phone rang.

"Hello?" I said.

"Are you ready?" Rex's voice sounded from the other end. He sounded nervous, anxious. I was surprised. I thought that maybe with Melissa back he'd be better off.

"I'm getting there," I answered.

"Well the bus is waiting outside," he replied, "so hurry up."

"Wait, a bus?" I was confused.

"We had to make it seem like a school trip," Rex answered, the now familiar darkling tone underlying in his voice, "so we had to acquire a school bus."

"You stole a school bus?" I wanted to be surprised, yet I wasn't. It didn't seem so unbelievable that the "new" Rex would dip to auto theft.

"Just hurry up," the phone clicked. He'd hung up.

I slung my backpack full of clothes over my shoulder and picked up the duffel bag. As I was walking out the door, I decided to leave the last thing I'd stuffed in behind, Ada Lovelace. This was one journey I'd have to make without my hero. After placing the black-clad ballerina on the dresser, I zipped the bag back up and headed out of my room.

"Desdemona?" my mother called from the kitchen as I headed for the front door, I stopped in my tracks as I heard her voice calling my name. Sometimes I wished I'd been named something not so obscure. My mother always told me she'd named me after Othello's lover in Shakespeare's play Othello, and that it was good to be unique. Of course I understood that uniqueness was important, and that I myself was indeed unique, but couldn't she have simply named me after a great-aunt or something?

"Do you have everything for your trip?" She continued.

"Yes," I answered, "the bus is here so I have to go."

"Okay then," she answered, then peered her head around the corner, "Have fun studying Ogopogo."

"I will," I replied. Of course we weren't really going to study the mythical monster, but we had to come up with some sort of cover story, and that made the most sense. It was really the only reason that someone would go on a school trip to Kelowna.

"I love you," she called as I opened the door.

"Love you too," I answered truthfully. I did love my parents, and I hated all the lying I'd done over the years about midnight. Carefully I shut the door and walked out to the waiting school bus.

"Finally," Melissa said as I stepped inside. I ignored her, passing Rex in the driver's seat and taking a seat beside Jake.

"Hey," he said as the bus started to move.

"Hey," I withheld a blush. Though Jake had only been in Bixby for a few days, I already had some strong feelings about him. I looked across the aisle to the two newbies. The mindcaster girl was leaning against the window, a forlorn look on her face. The other one seemed eager to talk and move. Typical acrobat.

"Home we go," Jake said.

"Already," Jamie added, "I've only been in Oklahoma for like a week, and already I'm going home."

"Believe me," I said, "that's not something to be worried about. Bixby is nothing special."

"What about midnight though?" She asked, "And all of you guys? That's pretty special."

"Not anymore," I sighed, "It sounds like Kelowna is even more special if there are midnighters popping out of there for no reason."

"I still think you're pretty special," Jake whispered. My heart leapt. He thought I was special!

"Really?" I tried to hold back my flood of emotions.

"Dess," he laughed, "I've like you ever since the moment we met." Then his smile faded, "But do you like me?"

"Of course," I whispered, finally letting my emotions take hold, "Since the moment I first saw you."

"That's good," he answered simply, shifting himself closer to me on the seat.

"Ugh," Natalie suddenly groaned, "It's so darn sickly sweet! Lovey dovey!" She shook her head and turned back to look out the window. I couldn't help but smile.

"That's all nice for both of you," Jamie said, obviously bewildered by our sudden confessions, "But I meant special as in unique with all you gifts and stuff."

"Everybody's special," I answered, shifted closer to Jake, "just in different ways. Sure I can do a math question in a split second, and Jake can freeze the world, but everybody does their own thing. Everybody's unique." I then realized the truth in my own words. Uniqueness was what made people themselves. It's what attracted people to each other. I smiled again and leaned my head against Jake's shoulder. He was unique. I was unique. Yet somehow we fit together. I'd spent years alone in the world with no one to match with me, and finally he'd come. Finally I had someone to face the world beside. And boy oh boy did it feel great.

**Finally I posted this! I am so very sorry for taking so darn long. Chapter seven will come ASAP.**


	7. Chapter 7 me? A terrorist?

**Ok avid readers, I must apologize for my fanfiction hiatus. My mind kind of just wandered and I never took the time to write anything else. But then someone commented on this story and drew me back into the fanfiction world. So here is the long awaited chapter 7 of Dess diaries. Overdue by a lot, I know. But I'm back into the story and plan to keep it that way!**

Jake and I remained silently in the same position for the rest of the bus ride. It felt so nice. So right. I never really had gotten why girls and guys would lean on each other for hours on end, but now I think I knew. It just felt good. From the front of the bus I could hear Melissa and Rex murmuring to each other. Probably hatching some sort of plan of action for when we got to Kelowna or even just the airport. Behind me the dull roar of Natalie's iPod was emanating from her headphones (something by three days grace by the sound of it) and a faint rustle of pages told me Jamie was reading a book. No one seemed to notice the change that had come over Jake and I.

Just as that thought crossed through my mind, I could feel Melissa turn her icy gaze onto us. She was probably tasting the contempt that flowed through my mind. I carefully lifted myself back up into a sitting position and returned her glance.

"What are you looking at?" I said simply.

"Oh nothing," she replied, a devious smile crossing her face, "just amazed that what you've been missing for so long has finally come at last."

I made a face at her, but didn't say anything.

"What's her problem?" Jake asked, "It's not like she has issues with affection; from what I've seen she's all over tall dark and scary over there."

"Melissa is just…" I let out a small laugh, "Melissa." He looked back over at her, then nodded in agreement.

"She seems like something else for sure," he looked like he wanted to continue, but stopped himself as Rex stood up.

"We're almost there," he said, "and I think it's best we go over some precautions about getting through the airport safely." His predatory glare focused on me.

"Yea, yea, yea," I sighed, "we don't need airport officials searching my bags and asking why I have an immensity of construction supplies and tools."

"Exactly," Rex agreed, "if anything does happen, Melissa can probably get us out of trouble, but she would rather not."

Jake looked at me questioningly.

"Conscious minds aren't good enough for the bitch goddess," I replied in a hushed whisper, "she prefers only to alter the memories of those who can't fight back."

"Our flight leaves at 1:25," Rex continued, unaware of Jake and I's hushed exchange, "so we need to be through the gates by 12:20 in order to give us time through customs."

"It's 11:07 now," Melissa added, looking at her fancy steel watch, "how long do you think we'll have once we get there Dess?"

"Well," I said, surprised Melissa had asked my opinion, "assuming we are parked and out of the bus in half an hour," I estimated based on the last road sign I'd seen, "then that will give us exactly 43 minutes or 2580 seconds to get through check in. Then, assuming we're on exact schedule, we'll have 65 minutes or 3900 seconds to get through customs and onto the plane before it takes off. All those figures are, of course, just estimates considering we may take longer or shorter in either direction. Either way, it's going to be close."

Jake looked at me in surprise. "How do you do that?"

"What?"

"All that math!"

I chuckled, "It's just what I do. My talent so to speak."

He said nothing else but just shook his head in wonder.

"Ok then," Rex continued, "but you may have to bump some of those numbers up, we're here." As he spoke the bus passed under an arch and into the hourly parking section of Tulsa International. I immediately wondered where Rex was going to keep the bus while we were away.

"Why are we in hourly parking?" Jamie said, echoing my thoughts, "don't we need to keep the bus somewhere?"

"I've got it covered," Rex smiled evilly and parked the bus in an open stall. We all filed out, dragging our bags and suitcases behind us. Actually, only me dragging my bag behind me. Natalie and Jamie obviously didn't have any luggage considering they were kind of pulled away from their lives, Jake and Rex just had small backpacks, and Melissa carried a single duffle bag. I felt like a complete idiot with my giant suitcase and duffle bag. Rex didn't even look back as he led us away from the bus and towards the main entrance. I walked along awkwardly at the back of the group, lugging my massive load behind me. Every step I took was echoed by a loud clank as the duffle bag banged against my knees.

"Need help?" Jake backpedaled towards me and offered his hand.

"Um, sure. That would be great," I replied, passing him the handle of the suitcase. Lightened of my load, I jogged forward to catch up with the rest of the group as they stepped up to the automatic doors. As they slid open with a great whooshing sound, Rex let out a low hiss of pain and carefully made his way through followed by the rest of our group. We were in.

Checking in was much easier than I thought it would be; the smiling blond attendant seemed not to notice the loud clank of my bag as I placed in on the scale. She just continued to smile a wide white-toothed smile and placed a 'fragile' sticker around the handle, sending it away on the conveyer without a word. Customs and security on the other hand…well it wasn't nearly as easy. Rex refused to walk through the high-tech metal detector and instead had to undergo an intensive full body pat down which he seemed to hate every minute of. I was actually worried he might bight off the poor security guy's head. Meanwhile, I myself was searched after the guard found a Swiss army knife known to me as Backscratcher in a side pocket of my backpack. As he started to lead me off to a side room, Melissa casually brushed her hand against his arm and my apparent terrorism was forgotten in his mind. It almost made me sick right then and there. Finally we were all through the scanners and guards and into the terminal waiting area.

"Time Dess," Rex ordered.

"1:07," I replied, "It would have been earlier if someone had just gone through the scanner as asked." I immediately realized my mistake as his eyes narrowed and his hands curled up like claws.

"Oh really?" he hissed, "and your little Swiss army knife almost put us all on the no fly list. If Melissa hadn't been there…." He shook his head and didn't say anything else, stalking over to a row of chairs and taking a seat. Melissa followed him, sliding in next to him and carefully laying her hand on his. Jamie and Natalie started off towards the gift shop, groping in their pockets for change. I let out a long sigh of stress.

"We're all through now," Jake reassured me, "do you want to go and just get a coffee or something while we wait?"

"That sound amazing right about now," I smiled and we walked over to the nearby starbucks. After watching Jake order a caramel macchiato and ordering a vanilla latte for myself, we took our drinks and settled down at a nearby table. WE didn't say anything for a couple seconds.

"Me? A terrorist?" I finally laughed at the issues in security, "Could you imagine that?"

"Oddly enough," Jake said simply, "I think I can. You seem like the kind of person who could devise some sort of homemade bomb. Not to kill people of course, but just for the fun of it." I just smiled and nodded, amazed at how true his words were.


End file.
